What should communities do?
Each community should endeavor to set up a water stewardship plan. The three main aspects for a water stewardship plan are conservation, restoration and education. However, before implementing any of the steps, the area must first be assessed to determine which parts will be most effective. This is to ensure that the plan will not waste money and will actually aid in water stewardship.
The first step in conservation would involve a tax break for households that have low levels of water usage. The less water a family uses, the greater the tax cut they would receive. Exact rates would be determined by a committee based upon the different communities involved and the average levels of water usage.
Another step would involve distributing pamphlets and flyers that detail methods of water conservation. For example, fixing a leaky faucet saves more than 5 gallons of water per day. Little things like that can make a big difference in water conservation.
Restoration involves cleaning up polluted water system to maximize efficiency. There are several organizations that participate in those endeavors such as Great Lakes Restoration and the Great Lakes Collaboration for National Significance. By encouraging such efforts as a method of community service, the community can greatly improve its water resources.
Most important for water stewardship is education, especially for the policy makers of the future. By modifying its curriculum to include more lessons on environmental issues and making sure children learn about conservation at an early age, the continued stewardship of our most important research is assured. Groups such as the National Wildlife Federation are actively involved in education, so with their help, it would be relatively inexpensive to add more material to the school curricula.
What can students do?
First, let people know about why water conservation is important. Tell your friends and family! With all the issues surrounding us today, water conservation is probably the last thing on their minds. Let them know how doing little things, like not leaving the faucet on, can make a difference. Challenge yourself to conserve water, such as by not taking a super long shower.
Next, try and volunteer at a local organization is involved in water stewardship or environmental conservation. There is a lot of information online about different organizations, and it shouldn't be too difficult to find one close by. Community service might not sound like the best way to spend a weekend, but it's actually fun and a great way to meet new people. Plus, it doesn't hurt to be able to list something like that on an application or resume.
Other ideas include starting up an environmental club at your school, contacting your local representative with your concerns, or finding a nearby body of water to restore. There are many ways to get involved in helping the environment, and the most important thing is to keep informed on the issue. Keeping our heads in the sand is exactly the wrong thing to do.
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Paying for water in the first place is so outrageous...
The Native American's would have NEVER had it that way. If it comes from the Earth-it is there to share, use what you need and never more. There would be no need for water conservation or the need to clean up polluted waters.
We really should live by the way Native Americans did..life would be so much easier.